A burning issue in Plymouth is not so much whether there should be an elected mayor, but why the local authority has made it difficult for residents to have their say on the matter and why city councillors have not properly raised the debate at a time when the theme of the Coalition Government is of citizens having a say in how their communities work.

Conspiracy theorists are at work detecting a secret agenda that opposes the opening of local council business to outside intervention.

Mayoral elections are now on the agenda, with the government committed to introducing the offices in England's largest cities. Many local government leaders are strongly opposed to mayors, but advocates argue it is the only way to revive interest in local government.

In London, the office of mayor has transformed politics and the quality of life in the capital. One only has to think back to the days of traffic congestion and poor public transport to understand what strong local and personal leadership can achieve.

Elsewhere, city mayors are big figures in national and international politics – Rudy Giuliani and now Michael Bloomberg in New York are good examples. The London Mayor was recently voted by Time magazine as one of the top 100 most powerful men in the world.

It is argued that the clear failings of UK local government have fueled the centralisation of power to Whitehall, making Britain one of the most centralised countries in the developed world.

The argument continues that the installation of elected mayors could reverse this trend and accelerate the devolution of power because focusing an elected individual brings better accountability and leadership.

The jury is out on elected mayors but a loud and enthusiastic debate is worth having, so what is Plymouth so afraid of?